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Topic: Any reason to cold crash a stout? (Read 2480 times)

Does cold crashing do anything other than help to deliver clear beer? I have a stout that is so dark that clarity doesn't matter, so I am thinking that there is no point to cold crashing. I bottled a dark brown beer a couple of weeks ago that used WY1335 yeast that I cold crashed for a few days, and it hasn't carbonated properly in the bottles. I am wondering if I took too much yeast out of suspension with the cold crash. I used the same procedure I have many times before and this is the first time I have had a problem.

I find that even with really dark beers, clarity is still noticeable. Not to mention you be dropping out yeast and other particulates that can affect flavor and mouthfeel. As to cold crashing removing too much yeast, I've never found that to happen, even after lagering a beer for months.

I find that even with really dark beers, clarity is still noticeable. Not to mention you be dropping out yeast and other particulates that can affect flavor and mouthfeel. As to cold crashing removing too much yeast, I've never found that to happen, even after lagering a beer for months.

+1. I like to clean up all beers by cold crashing. Otherwise, they just taste ‘muddy’ to me.

I find that even with really dark beers, clarity is still noticeable. Not to mention you be dropping out yeast and other particulates that can affect flavor and mouthfeel. As to cold crashing removing too much yeast, I've never found that to happen, even after lagering a beer for months.

+1. I like to clean up all beers by cold crashing. Otherwise, they just taste ‘muddy’ to me.

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+2. Doesn't matter that most stouts are opaque. Except for hefe and wit, pretty much all beers benefit from a couple days of crashing at 31 or 32F, to drop the mentioned yeast and particulate, and speed up the maturation process. Excessive yeast in suspension, even when you don't see it in a stout, can give the beer a harsh tart/bitter character that's unpleasant. Easy enough to crash.

The beer is probably ruined. Best to send it to me for proper disposal. Since you are reducing the amount of yeast in the bottle it might slow the carb slightly but I never had good carbonation in 2 weeks like many say. It was usually about a month before I was happy... Brew something else and stop worrying about it.

OK, I'll cold crash the stout. It turns out that the brown ale is now carbonating properly; it just took longer than usual. The weather has gotten a bit chilly in the last month and the room the beer is in has been cooler than the summer, so that slowed down the yeast.

In the winter, I'll put bottled beer in my small utility room to help boost the temp and speed carbonation. I usually have the hall thermostat set at 68 F, but the rest of the house is actually about 66 F. When I'm using the electric clothes dryer, or the gas hot water heater fires up, I get an additional bit of heat. The vibration from the washer spin cycle probably helps a bit too.

I also like to cold crash all my beers. Too much traub tastes like dead yeast cells to me.

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It's easier to read brewing books and get information from the forum than to sacrifice virgins to appease the brewing gods when bad beer happens!

Stouts taste better with some age. I'd leave it in the primary for 3 weeks. No cold crash. Then bottle. Carb for 2 weeks. Fridge for 2 weeks before drinking. But leave some at room temp and move them to the fridge as you drink the cold ones. That is the fastest I'd want to drink a bottled stout. This schedule will produce a stout with not much yeast in the bottle.